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Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by a Young Alumna 2014

MINH DANG
B.A. Sociology, 2006
MSW, 2013

Minh Dang’s early years were harrowing. Throughout her childhood, she recalls being sexually abused by her father and trafficked sexually by both parents. But when Dang entered Cal as an undergraduate, she found the resources she needed to escape her ordeal.

“Two things happened,” Dang said. “I became a legal adult, and I found a community at the University that was supportive and understanding. I learned to take control of my life. I learned to take a stand.”

Dang has since made social justice in general—and the fight against human trafficking in particular—her life’s work. She most recently served as the Executive Director of Don’t Sell Bodies, a group that empowers survivors of human trafficking, and she helped start the U.S. Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking. For her outstanding work, the White House designated her a Champion of Change in 2013. She also received the Chancellor’s Public Service Award in 2011. The former Director of UC Public Service Center created the Dang Fellowship for Human Rights in her honor. (Please specify under Special Instructions that the donation is for the Dang Fellowship).

“Before I came to Cal and started speaking out on what happened to me, I carried my burden alone,” Dang said. “But I saw people at this University fighting injustice and it inspired me. I became a part of that.”